Western Courier

Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: The Edge

Media Credit: Martyn Davis T-Pain said he was sorry for missing his first WIU performance.

Media Credit: Martyn Davis

To many students at Saturday's GROOVEJAM concert, T-Pain was not just a rapper and songwriter but a stand-up comedian as well.

The Grammy winner from Tallahassee had a heavy dosage of jokes and humor blended into the concert, along with some sporadic singing from his hit singles. He had a lot of people to amuse, as the headlining rap artist was able to draw 1,500 visitors and students into the sold-out seats of Western Hall.

The crowd was anxious for his arrival on stage, thanks to DJ Lil John's mix-tape session that revved up the crowd and sent Western Hall into a frenzy. With the lights dimmed, T-Pain approached the head of the stage and sang one of his earlier hits, "I'm Sprung," in its entirety. After that, T-Pain condensed his singing and expanded his bantering as he gained some laughs and got the audience involved in the early part of the concert. Many of his discussions included numerous apologies for the cancellation of the original Oct. 29 concert. He said he felt obligated to "give extra" as compensation for not showing up.

"I give 120 percent in my performances at all times," said T-Pain, whose total time on stage exceeded one hour.

"As far as the crowd and everything else, I feel that (the audience) appreciated that I came back since I missed the first show. It's very important to me that I know that my fans are happy with my performance, and I may not get off stage until my fans are fully satisfied."

"In Miami I got arrested because I wouldn't get off stage in making sure that my fans were satisfied. I'll do that every time I perform if I have to," he added.

Many of the students appreciated the effort displayed and the sincerity T-Pain had in his apologies.

"I thought this was a great concert and that T-Pain was very humble," said junior marketing major Tony Thomas. "He was very apologetic; he gave us extra time, and I think he gave that extra effort in ensuring that he really appreciates us."

In contrast, some students looked annoyed by T-Pain's constant banter during the concert and expected more singing from the R&B artist, who didn't complete most of the songs he performed.

"The concert was OK except for the fact that he mostly talked his way through the concert," said junior criminal justice major Mike Barrera.

T-Pain wasn't the only celebrity in town, as hip-hop groups Dude-N-Dem and Nexx Level made an appearance to provide rapping reinforcements for T-Pain. Radio station hosts Tone and Shag from Chicago's Power 92 radio station were there to host the event.

In addition, GROOVEJAM'S "Rock the Runway" fashion show was the first activity performed on stage. About 30 models strutted their stuff, donning the hottest, up-to-date trends from the Opulent Trend clothing company in Chicago.

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